New Facebook ‘Timeline’ Feature Raises Privacy Concerns

For now it’s optional, but eventually all member profiles will change to a “timeline” format, similar to a digital scrapbook.

Like many Facebook changes, this one is getting mixed reviews from users and has once again raised concerns about privacy.

“I’ve heard of people getting robbed for just putting that they were on vacation or something like that,” one user tells KYW Newsradio.

“I just want exactly what I know and what I expect,” complains another Facebook user about the coming changes. “And I go on there and I don’t know how to find what I want, and I’m worried that I’m going to do something that I don’t mean to do.”

Rob D’Ovidio, associate professor of criminal justice at Drexel University, understands that woman’s worrry. He says that by putting your life experiences in a chronological order online, it becomes easier for criminals to hack into your other accounts.

“When you’re signing up for new services and they ask you security questions in case you forget your password — so they can validate you are who you say you are — they ask the name of your first school or maybe the town that you were born in,” he points out.

D’Ovidio says users should check check their privacy settings after each Facebook change.